She's My Heroine
by hermiones heart and soul
Summary: She was my nicotine, and I would never tell. Her scent, her hair, her eyes, her smile, her voice- they all drew me in an encompassed in their familiarity, in their beauty and in their mystique.


As she screams and screams, I hear Ron's gut wrenching moans of pain. The pain of not being able

to save the woman he loves. The pain derived from hearing her suffer.

He does not know that I feel it, too. I feel it in this exact moment. But he can never know.

He never claimed to love her. He left her for Merlin's sake! He never showed affection, and if he did, it was for a fleeting moment, then he was on to making her cry again.

I loved her, though I as well never made the statement. I had gotten angry with her before, but never I alone. I never was solely the one to cause her tears. She was my heroine, saving my life day in and day out. She was my nicotine, and I would never tell. Her scent, her hair, her eyes, her smile, her voice- they all drew me in an encompassed in their familiarity, in their beauty and in their mystique. I was addicted to the feeling of her squeezing the breath out of my lungs, as her hair tickles my ear and makes me forget to breathe anyway, her skin so close to mine, while she hugged me. She understood me. Chose me over the rest of the world. Put me before herself, and everyone else. She gave it all for me. Without complaint or asking for anything in return. She was a constant in my life while the rest just a variable. I wanted to scream her name. Scream how I loved her and how I would save her. Yet Ron was doing that. And who was I to take that away from him? From her? Was he what she wanted?

I wasn't thinking logically. I wasn't thinking at all, because screaming was the only thing I could hear, and then I realized, a moment to late, it was coming from my body.

"I LOVE YOU, HERMIONE! I WILL SAVE YOU! I LOVE YOU, BEAUTIFUL."

I didn't miss the flash of surprise across Ron's face before the hurt took over. The hurt and betrayal. Then the understanding. He had left her, and he knew it. It was only right for me to be permitted to stake a claim on the lovely girl. Excuse- lady. He had given up the right to hold her heart the day he walked all over it. And he knew it.

We didn't speak, didn't mention it. We never did. We both knew.

When we finally broke out of that cellar and came upon the scene upstairs, I realized I had never hurt more in my life. Love was a powerful thing. It takes over your body and gives you powers you never knew of.

Dobby was the real hero here. He saved us all.

As the knife was digging into the unconscious beauty's neck, my unconscious beauty, he appeared, dropping a chandelier right where Bellatrix stood, my Hermione in her arms. Bellatrix dropped Hermione. She fell to a heap on the floor. And before I knew it, I had her in my arms, and we were gone.

We landed on a beach, but I didn't question the where or why in that moment. Ron, ran to a small cottage, for what, I didn't know. Dobby walked toward us, mumbling about how terrible the situation was.

We both noticed blood pouring from the broken woman in my arms.

And a flash of silver.

The knife Bellatrix had thrown was embedded deep in her shoulder.

And then I ran for the cottage, too.

Bill and Fleur helped us, not getting angry when we couldn't answer our questions. And when Fleur permitted, I finally walked into Hermione's room.

She was asleep. Pale white, shaking, and moaning. She cried out, and that's when I heard it.

"Harry! Save me. Please. I need you. I love you."

Tears had started pouring down her broken, yet still enchanting face. And then I knew, I did not take away her chance at Ron. She wanted me. This is what she wanted.

I took her in my arms, soothing her the best I could. I don't know what came over me, but, in that moment, I believed it right. I kissed her. Softly, and lovingly as I knew how. And her eyes slowly opened.

And she kissed back.

There were no more tears and everything seemed to fall in to place.

Peace wafted throughout the room, even in the midst of horror and chaos.

She was still my heroine, making it all better, even when she seemed broken.

There would be time to discuss this tomorrow. But now, I laid down beside her, and held her as we both slept. And there was no shaking or crying out from her this time. We both had a soft smile that couldn't be removed from our features. Bliss.

Neither of us noticed Ron walk in and glance upon our sleeping bodies. Neither of us heard him say,

"You both have my blessings, but I will always love you, Hermione. While I'm always second to him, you're always first to me."

Everyone felt different that day.

No one ever knew.


End file.
